Basel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Basel
Basle |
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View from the Rhine
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Country | Switzerland | |
Canton | Basel-Stadt | |
District | n.a | |
Area | ||
• Total | 23.85 km2 (9.21 sq mi) | |
Postal code |
4000
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Surrounded by | Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS), Saint-Louis (FR-68), Weil am Rhein (DE-BW) | |
Twin towns | Shanghai, Miami Beach |
Basel (French: Bâle) is a city in the north of Switzerland. It is sometimes called Basle in English. Basel is the capital of the Swiss canton of Basel-Stadt.
The city has a population of about 170,000 people and is the third largest city in Switzerland after Zürich and Geneva.
Basel borders Germany and France in the north and the canton of Basel-Land in the south. The Rhine river flows through the city.
History
Basel was a prince-bishopric from 999 until 1803. Most of the city was destroyed in the 1356 Basel earthquake, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Central Europe. Basel joined Switzerland in 1501.
Economy
Basel is well known for the many chemical and pharmaceutical companies that are located in the city, such as Novartis, Syngenta and Hoffmann-La Roche. The only ports in Switzerland are located along the Rhine river in Basel, which makes the city important for imports and exports to and from Switzerland. Basel shares the international airport EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg with the French city Mulhouse.
Education
The University of Basel was founded in 1460 and is the oldest in Switzerland and one of the oldest in the world. Erasmus, Paracelsus, Daniel Bernoulli, Leonhard Euler and Friedrich Nietzsche worked here.
Gallery
Images for kids
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The Rhine with the old town of Basel to the right
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The Roman theatre in Augusta Raurica, one of the most important Roman archaeological sites in Switzerland
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The Rhine in Basel as Switzerland's gateway to the sea
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Novartis Campus Basel
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Inauguration ceremony of the University of Basel, 1460
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The Antelope House at Zoo Basel
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Roger Federer at the 2010 Australian Open
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University of Basel (est. in 1460)
See also
In Spanish: Basilea para niños